Discord's Disco Dissonance
by Bandicoot Sauce
Summary: Discord plans to surprise Fluttershy with a dance party. Unfortunately, she won't be the only one who gets surprised by what the spirit of chaos has in mind... Warning: Contains a LOT of typical Discord humour and spoilers for the 2017 MLP movie!
1. A Discordant Holiday

That first snowflake of the day. It was always a treat when that sign of things to come floated down gently from above.

A treat in more ways than one.

As Discord stood there in front of the chicken coop outside Fluttershy's home, he opened his mouth and extended his reptilian tongue to smartly catch the hexagonal snowflake, which reacted to the saliva of the spirit of chaos by instantly bursting into flames. The draconic being of unique physiology retracted his tongue, swallowed and let out a tremendous belch, a bright orange fireball bursting forth from his mouth, causing one of the nearby chickens to squawk in panic.

"Oops. Swallowed my tongue again," Discord said a little thickly, his tone knowing and sly. He reached up with his one taloned hand, reached inside his mouth and put his arm absurdly far down his throat and into the depths of his body, soon pulling up the tongue that had settled in his stomach and repositioning it in its rightful place. "That's more like it."

A familiar giggling caught Discord's attention from behind and he turned his head completely around in a manner not unlike an owl (though in Discord's case, it was more akin to the possession victim from _The Exorcist_ ) to see Fluttershy standing there in her winter boots, smiling up at him in a very lighthearted way, her eyes momentarily closed, which just added to the cuteness of her smile.

"Oh, you saw that, did you?" the taller being guessed, smirking once more as he folded his arms, his head still on backwards. "I always did have an eye for frozen snacks. Still, they're _snow_ picnic."

Fluttershy laughed. "You never change, do you?"

" _Au contraire_ , my dear Fluttershy. I'm always changing," Discord told her slyly before transforming into an exact lookalike of Princess Celestia. "It's just not always clear who I'm going to change into," he concluded as he changed back to his usual self.

"Oh, stop it," Fluttershy told him half-seriously, the creamy coloured mare reaching up with her front left hoof and nudging her friend playfully in the side. "I like your snowshoes," she then commented.

"Oh, you noticed?" Discord gestured to the tennis racquets tied to his mismatched feet (the left a hoof and the right a clawed dragon foot), for they were indeed actual tennis racquets and not proper snowshoes. "Yes, I saw Cadence and Luna playing with these and I just knew that they'd _serve_ me well. You know, because they're tennis racquets, which are used for _serving_?"

Fluttershy nodded, having understood the joke perfectly, but she was now frowning slightly. "You know you can't keep those, Discord. They don't belong to you."

"Oh, come now, Fluttershy," Discord said, pouting slightly, turning his body around to appropriately match the position of his head. "What's a few more minutes of the princesses being stuck on a score of thirty-love? That's zero, by the way."

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes slightly and gazed intently at Discord, giving him 'the stare'. The spirit of chaos sighed.

"Oh, very well," he said, snapping his talons, causing the tennis racquets to instantly vanish. "They were starting to get uncomfortable, anyway."

The warmth in Fluttershy's expression returned and she turned to reach behind her, soon facing Discord again, now holding a pair of snow hiking boots not unlike her own in her mouth. Unlike the boots she wore, which were small, green and cute, the ones grasped between her teeth were bulkier and of two distinctly different shapes and sizes. They were brown and white with a little pink butterfly painted on each - reminiscent of Fluttershy's Cutie Mark. She placed them down in the snow before Discord. "I thought you might like these better than some silly old racquets," she stated as she looked up at him, beaming with kindheartedness, "Especially as an early Hearths Warming present."

Discord was taken aback. This wasn't the first time that Fluttershy had surprised him with a gift, but the fact that she always did so with such earnestness, such thoughtfulness, never ceased to amaze him.

With another snap of his finger-like appendages, the boots magically appeared on Discord's feet, each one fitting perfectly, as Fluttershy had no doubt intended. Then he grinned broadly.

"Oh, come here, you!" the spirit of chaos declared, suddenly reaching down, grabbing his pony companion in a friendly headlock and giving her a vigorous yet gentle noogie. He then frowned slightly as he released Fluttershy. "Hey, wait, why are you crying?"

"Oh, I'm just…" Fluttershy paused, wiping her eyes. "I'm just so glad you like them."

"Well, _of course_ I like them! They're from you!" Discord said, putting his hands on his hips as he smiled at his friend.

"Oh, Discord!" Fluttershy wailed, wrapping her hooves around Discord's waist in a tight hug. Discord chuckled in a soft, warm way.

"It's _you_ who never changes, Fluttershy," he told her, returning the embrace, "And I daresay that's for the best."

"Thank you," Fluttershy said, releasing him and reaching up with a hoof to wipe her eyes. "Ooh, now I'm excited!" she exclaimed suddenly, indeed looking like she might jump clean out of her boots in eager anticipation of something.

"Excited?"

"Yes, because I just know that _you're_ going to surprise _me_ with something wonderful as well!"

Discord's eyes widened and his pupils shrunk. The spirit of chaos realised that the idea of getting his friend a Hearths Warming gift hadn't even crossed his mind!

"Um, Discord? You _do_ have something special planned for Hearths Warming Eve, don't you?" Fluttershy asked, looking like she might delve right back into a tearful state again - the bad kind.

"B-but of course, Fluttershy! What d'you take me for?" Discord exclaimed quickly, chuckling nervously. "It's just…" He hesitated, running his one paw along the back of his head, beads of sweat forming under his mismatched antlers. "Well, it's… It's a surprise!" he managed at last. "And I certainly wouldn't want to, you know, spoil it for you!" He smiled meekly, his one fang showing.

Fluttershy beamed. "I knew you wouldn't forget," she said to him before turning and heading over towards her house, Angel Bunny waiting at the door in a tiny pair of rabbit-sized slippers and a Santa hat, a mug of hot cocoa in his paw. Once Fluttershy was inside and had closed the door behind her, Discord immediately split into multiple copies of himself, each of them staring at each other with alarmed expressions on their faces.

"What do we do now?!" they cried in panicked unison.

* * *

 _My little pony, my little pony…_

 _(harmonising)_

 _My little pony!_

 _I used to wonder what friendship could be!_

 _My little pony!_

 _Until you all shared its magic with me!_

 _Big adventure!_

 _Tons of fun!_

 _A beautiful heart!_

 _Faithful and strong!_

 _Sharing kindness!_

 _It's an easy feat!_

 _And magic makes it all complete!_

 _You have my little pony!_

 _Do you know you're all my very best…_

 _Friends!_

* * *

 **Discord's Disco Dissonance**

The streets of Ponyville were lined with a blanket of white, only the roads devoid of snow thanks to the vigilance of those ponies who had taken up shovel or plough to keep the main pathways clear. In front of _Quills And Sofas_ , the shop that specialised in those two types of items, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were busy making a snowpony in the likeness of the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie. As Scootaloo put the finishing touches on the head, she frowned, staring at it thoughtfully.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle, did you remember to grab that pointed sorcerer's hat from _Carousel Boutique_?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Guess I forgot," Rarity's little sister admitted.

"Oh, man! Now what're we gonna do?"

"We could make a sorcerer's hat outta the snow, maybe?" Applebloom suggested.

"Hey, what about that hat Twilight has?" Sweetie Belle advised, remembering the hat the Princess of Friendship had once worn as part of her Nightmare Night wizard costume. "You know, the one inspired by Star Swirl the Bearded?

"Hey, yeah! I'm sure she wouldn't mind!" Scootaloo said eagerly. "Especially if we tell her it's because we're now big fans of Star Swirl!" she added, sorting with laughter at the very idea. "Oh, I can just imagine what Rainbow Dash would say about that one!"

"She'd be laughing harder than you are!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Then she stared off into the distance, appearing curious about something she had spotted. "Hey, isn't that…?"

"Huh?" The other members of the CMC followed Sweetie's gaze to see Discord making his way along the path, appearing very distracted. He seemed to be mumbling to himself. In addition to the snow boots Fluttershy had given him, he now sported a blue down jacket he had conjured up, for the temperature had dropped somewhat since he had left Fluttershy's place, and judging by the clouds building on the horizon, it wasn't about to warm up again anytime soon.

"I suppose I could always… No, I gave her one of those on her birthday. I _could_ perhaps use my corruption magic to alter her memory, give her the same thing again and pass it off as something new, but... No, if she somehow found out, I'd never hear the end of it."

"Hiya, Mister Discord!" the Crusaders greeted in unison as the spirit of chaos approached.

"Huh? Oh, it's you three," Discord said, sounding disinterested. "Having fun, are we?"

"Well, yes, actually," Sweetie stated, not missing Discord's dismissive tone. "Doesn't look like the same can be said about you, though."

"Yes, well, we grown-ups have a lot to think about," Discord stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey, don't write us off just because we're a bunch o' fillies! Maybe we can help!" Applebloom said, offering a friendly smile.

Discord sighed. "I'm sorry, you three. I'm just up in arms…" He paused to snap his fingers, causing several skeletal arms that were very human-like in nature to burst out of the ground and lift him up off the ground, the unsettling situation causing the CMC to scream in fright. "…Because I promised Fluttershy I'd do something nice for her in accordance with the current holiday, but when it comes to ideas, I'm drawing a blank." He snapped his fingers again and the horrid arm bones were gone and Discord was standing upright once more, now wearing a cowboy hat and holding a flintlock pistol in one hand. He held it skyward and fired it, a little banner emerging from the barrel of the gun, the word 'BANG' written on it in block capitals.

"Well, if you're still able to joke about it, then it can't be _all_ bad," Sweetie assured him, but she was a little apprehensive. The undead arms had really spooked her, having taken her and her friends completely by surprise, though not as much as they had spooked Scootaloo, who was now cowering behind the snowpony the CMC had made, peeking out nervously. "If you're not sure what to get her, then maybe you should try looking around town for inspiration."

"Y-yeah. There's lots of shops around here that sell some really cool things," Scootaloo commented, still trembling. She tried to compose herself before she continued, "I'm planning on picking up something neat for Rainbow Dash later, now that I think of it."

"Hmm. Not a bad idea," Discord mused, appearing thoughtful. "I just might try that. Now if you'll excuse me, my little ponies, it would appear that I have some window shopping to do." With that, he started to walk away, heading in the direction of _Sugarcube Corner_.

"That's weird. Ah thought he was gonna conjure up a window or somethin," Applebloom admitted.

Discord suddenly teleported back to where the Crusaders were. "You asked for it!" he declared, snapping his fingers and causing a huge window frame to appear out of nowhere. He stuck his head through it. "I've been… _framed!"_ he cried, grinning like a lunatic. The Crusaders just groaned loudly at his bad joke.

"I'm gonna go see Twilight about that hat," Scootaloo said, shaking her head as she set off towards Twilight's castle.


	2. Taking The Cake

The crystalline tower that served as the base of Twilight Sparkle's book related - and of course, friendship related - operations seemed especially beautiful in the current cold climate, snowflakes having landed on some of the jagged blue crystals that made up the building's unique architecture, looking like dainty decorations on a glittering Christmas tree that towered over the landscape.

Inside the glamorous library, Spike was humming cheerfully to himself as he arranged tinsel and baubles along the interior walls, the dragon's wordless rendition of 'Jingle Bells' making Twilight smile as she sat at the huge, ornate round table in the centre of the room, jotting down the last few notes for her annual Hearths Warming checklist, using her magic to levitate the inked quill that was marking out her plans for the holiday season.

"…And I think that's everything," the Princess of Friendship said brightly as she set the quill aside, the purple glow around her alicorn horn fading. "I even managed to include time to deliver candy canes as well as Hearths Warming cards! Oh, wait! Maybe I could deliver them simultaneously! That'd cut my time in half and leave more room for wrapping presents! Yes, I like the sound of that," she decided as she lifted up the quill again, crossing out a couple of notes and starting to write a new one underneath. It was then that she heard a knock at the front door, the sound echoing - perhaps magically - throughout the tower. "Spike, could you get that?" she called without looking up from her eager scribblings.

"No problem!" Spike responded, immediately sliding down the stepladder he had been using and jogging towards the entrance, still humming Hearths Warming carols merrily as he opened the front door. "Oh, hiya, Scootaloo! Come on in!"

"Thanks," Scootaloo said, trotting inside happily as Spike closed the door behind her. "Is Twilight around? I need to ask her about something."

"Yeah, she's in the usual spot doing the usual thing."

"Writing out a monster checklist?"

"Is there any other kind with her?"

The youthful pair shared a knowing chuckle.

"Happy Hearths Warming, Twilight!" Scootaloo greeted as she entered the main chamber, Twilight having just magically folded up the checklist and tied it into a scroll for Spike's easy access, setting it aside for later.

"Same to you, Scootaloo," the Princess replied, beaming. "Having a good holiday so far?"

"Heck, yeah! It feels soooooo good to be out of school for a few weeks! And we, the Crusaders, have been having so much fun! Just yesterday we went bobsledding, had a snowball fight, and I think we drank our weight in hot cocoa last night! It's been a blast! Oh, and we also tried to help some of the neighbourhood fillies get their Cutie Marks, of course. You know, once or twice."

"Glad to hear it," Twilight told her. "And speaking of hot cocoa… _Oh, Spiiiike!"_ she trilled in a syrupy sweet tone, making it quite clear that she wanted something.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," Spike replied from the far side of the room, already holding more mugs than he could safely carry, a packet of marshmallows held between his teeth. He started forward in search of the cocoa powder and milk, but tripped over a book that had been left on the floor and cried out as the mugs flew out of his clawed hands, about to smash into the ground and break into dozens of jagged pieces-

The little dragon let out a sigh of relief when the mugs stopped their descent in midair, hovering whilst surrounded by that familiar purple glow. Twilight set the mugs down gently from afar and Spike decided it was safest to leave them there as he set to work, gathering up the necessary ingredients, spooning some of the chocolate powder into the mugs, adding warm milk - which he had heated with his fire breath, having taken extreme care not to mistakenly transport it to Celestia's throne room lest Twilight's mentor be scalded by hot liquid raining down - and finally served the refreshingly warming beverage, dropping a couple marshmallows into each mug and leaving the marshmallow packet on the edge of the table in case anypony wanted more. Case in point, Spike produced a particularly plump vanilla marshmallow of purest white from the bag and held it between his claws, smartly toasting it lightly with his fire breath in show-off fashion only for it to suddenly disappear, much to his embarrassment and dismay. "Well, that's one for Princess Celestia then," he mused as Twilight and Scootaloo laughed.

"Anyway, Twilight," Scootaloo started, pausing to take a sip of her cocoa, savouring the creamy warmth of the drink and licking her muzzle in satisfaction, "I was wondering if you still had that old wizard's hat from when you were cosplaying as Star Swirl the Bearded? The Crusaders and I want it to build our snowpo- I mean, to build our knowledge of equestrian history," she corrected herself quickly before her true intentions could slip out. "I mean, if we're gonna help everypony earn their Cutie Marks, we need to know as much as possible, right?" she finished, smiling in what she hoped was a convincing way.

"You really want to learn about Star Swirl the Bearded?" Twilight asked excitedly, her eyes shining with a bright, hopeful glimmer and her smile a mile wide. "Well, you came to the right pony, make no mistake!" she said, getting out of her seat and heading for the bookcase. "In fact, why settle for just being in possession of the hat when you can impress everypony with your knowledge of its true significance? Did you know, for example, that Star Swirl first acquired his signature hat when…?"

"Um, actually, Twilight, I think the hat will be just fine for now," Scootaloo said rather pleadingly as Twilight began to babble on and on about one of her greatest idols. "I mean, I could always come back after the holidays, bring the Crusaders with me and we could all learn about it together as part of 'Twilight Time' or something."

"Nonsense. I've always got time to teach the younger generation about the finer points of equestrian history," Twilight assured her, levitating several books about Star Swirl over to the table.

"That's not what this checklist indicates," Spike muttered from where he now sat, having picked up Twilight's checklist to browse, finding it three times as long as some of her longest checklists on record.

"We'll start with the story of Star Swirl's humble but nonetheless amazing origins," Twilight said, opening the nearest book to reveal a page packed to the brim with paragraph after paragraph of exceedingly tiny writing. "Once upon a time, in a distant land, there was…"

Scootaloo moaned quietly, sounding exasperated. She drained the last of the cocoa from her mug and then slumped her front hooves on the table, knowing full well that she was going to be here for a while.

* * *

"Hmm. I suppose I could get her a cake, perhaps with a personalised message in the frosting, but aren't cakes better suited to birthdays and the like than Hearths Warming?" Discord mused as he gazed upon the many pastries and treats on display in the _Sugarcube Corner_ bakery, stroking his furry white goatee and voicing his thoughts aloud. He then snapped his fingers, for once not causing anything absurd to happen, for he only did it in this case to signify a moment of realisation. "I know! I'll ask the staff what they'd recommend. It sort of worked with that whole tea party business a while back…" On that note, the draconequus approached the main service counter, immediately noticing that it wasn't Pinkie Pie behind the desk, but rather her sister, Maud. "Excuse me, but what sort of confection would you recommend as a gift for somepony? I'm looking for something that falls into the 'for all occasions' category while still standing out as a real show stopper!"

Maud stared at him with her usual uninterested expression, her tone somehow making her sound even more bored than she looked.

"We have a cake that looks like a rock. It's a rock cake. I made it myself. It's decorated with small heart-shaped rocks, but the cake itself is not actually made from rocks. I like rocks."

"Okay…" Discord said slowly, not sure what to make of Maud's dull demeanour. "It sounds… intriguing, I guess? What, um, flavour is it?"

"It's a chocolate cake made to look like a rock, but it's not actually a rock."

"Yes, we've established that," Discord mumbled, starting to feel a little uncomfortable, if not mildly annoyed, by the way Maud was presenting herself to a potential paying customer. She sounded like she couldn't give a flying feather if she tried.

"It's topped with a mint flavoured frosting of moss green," Maud continued. "As such, it looks like a moss-covered rock. I like rocks. That's why I made it look like a rock."

Discord stared at Maud for a full ten seconds, his expression now becoming almost as dull as hers. "Do you like to drink coffee?" he asked with mock curiosity. "I think you do, because I can just _hear_ the energetic enthusiasm you have for your job in your every word. It absolutely _drips_ from each syllable like _mossy green icing on a rock-shaped cake_ ," he finished with a cold sneer, convinced that the grey mare was trying to drive him up the wall.

"You don't have to get nasty," Maud told him without the slightest change in her tone or expression. "If you don't want to buy my rock-shaped cake, nopony is going to force you to. Perhaps you'd be more interested in a batch of cupcakes with rainbow swirl icing? They don't look like rocks."

That did it. Discord reached over the counter, grabbed Maud Pie by the scruff of her neck and lifted her off the ground, causing several other customers in the store to gasp, stopping and staring in shock. "Now, see here, little miss smarty-pants pony…" Discord began threateningly, holding the grey mare at eye level, inches from his face. She didn't react to her predicament, however.

And fortunately, she didn't have to.

"Discord!" a familiar voice squeaked in outrage. "Put my sister down! _Now!"_

Discord's eyes shifted to see Pinkie Pie standing in the doorway leading to the back room, glaring at him with her eyes narrowed. The draconequus gently placed Maud back where she had been standing.

"She started it!" was his immediate exclamation, brandishing a taloned finger at Maud. "I was trying to be nice and polite, but she just _had_ to be difficult!"

"That's how I was going to summarise _your_ behaviour in relation to _mine_ ," Maud stated, her words as monotone as ever. "It's not my fault you don't like rocks."

"Oh, just give me two seconds and I'll show you more rocks than you could handle, you-!"

"DISCORD!" Pinkie screeched, the pitch of her voice causing several customers to wince, their ears agitated by the shout. The original party pony started forward, looking very cross. "In case you weren't aware, Discord, my sister was _not_ trying to offend you in any way - that's just the way she talks. Furthermore, if you have a complaint about the quality of our service, you should know that we recently set up a box for customer feedback surveys near the cash register, with said survey papers stacked right next to said box. Now, if it's all the same to you, I would like you to look my sister in the eye and apologise for handling her like that!"

Discord's left eye appeared to be twitching slightly, but after a brief moment, he exhaled deeply, forcing himself to remain calm. He focused his gaze on Maud, still feeling disdain for her lack of caring, whether such was her fault or not. "I… regret that which transpired a moment ago. I'm afraid I was… unaware of the true nature of your… mannerisms, and I may have overreacted as a result."

"I guess it's fine. You're not the first to interpret my words the wrong way," Maud said, starting to sound like a broken record in terms of her tone. "I'll leave you in the care of my sister. I'm sure she'll help you find what you're looking for." With that, the grey mare turned and filed into the back room, pausing for a moment in the doorway. During that pause, her face hidden from the prying eyes of the customers, a single tear formed in her eye, running down her cheek and landing with the faintest of drops on the store's floor. She quickly recomposed herself as she walked out of sight, knowing full well that if Pinkie saw that she was upset, the pink pony would go on the warpath, and that prospect was far more terrifying than being left mildly shaken by an encounter with a being of pure chaos.

Pinkie watched her sister go, already suspecting that something was wrong, but she decided that she'd address it during the designated break period. In the meantime, she had customers to attend to, not least the draconequus who was still waiting.

"Well, now that we've got _that_ settled," the original party pony said in an oddly dark tone before very suddenly shifting into her usual absurdly chipper state, "What can I get you, Discord?"

"Well, actually, I…" Discord trailed off, noticing Maud standing there in the gloom of the back room, her head down, unmoving. After a long moment, the spirit of chaos sighed heavily, snapping his fingers and causing a rather large pile of gold Bits to appear on the counter. "I think I'll just pay for a couple dozen chocolate apology cakes addressed to your sister and leave before I do anything else to draw attention to myself," he decided, guilt claiming him. He turned to walk away, but stopped when he felt a hoof on his waist. He glanced down to see Pinkie smiling brightly up at him.

"That's really nice of you, Discord," she said, "But just one'll be plenty. Maud's not the type to hold a grudge. I'm sure she'll forgive you soon if she hasn't already. Tell you what - let's go out back and you can sign your name on the apology cake in frosting. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Feeling a little uncertain, Discord decided to play along, following Pinkie as she merrily bounced into the back area of the bakery as though her legs were all one big pogo stick. After all, it was this or throwing away a large sum of Bits.

Speaking of Bits, as soon as Pinkie and Discord were out of sight, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon came up to the counter, glanced around to make sure nopony else was watching them, and proceeded to scrape as much of Discord's money as they could carry into a brown satchel before hurrying away, snorting and cackling rather wickedly.

A short while later, Discord emerged back into the main part of the store, glad to have his awkward shopping experience behind him. He was just heading for the exit when he collided with someone coming into the bakery.

"Oh, boy. What a day. Don't tell me I have to buy _another_ apology cake," Discord exclaimed before gazing upon the pony he had bumped into. She was a dark purple unicorn in a black top with eyes that housed a troubled past, yet a faint glimmer of hope for the future. The most distinguishing feature about her by far, however, was her horn. Cracked. Broken. Gone. Lost to the ages, leaving only a jagged bump on her forehead that glowed a faint white. Something told Discord that for as ravaged as that horn was, it was no less magically capable than he himself.

"My apologies," the unicorn said, her voice almost as dull as Maud's. The difference was that this mare's words actually had clear emotion behind them, albeit still not very positive-sounding. "Oh," the unicorn then said, taking a good, long look at Discord. "I was wondering when I might cross paths with you."

Discord furrowed his brow slightly. "I know you," he mused thoughtfully. "Not by face, but by reputation. Where did I hear…? Oh. Oh! Oho!" The draconequus then grinned. "Yes, I remember now. Twilight Sparkle told me about you when I got back from my vacation. You're… Temptress Shade, yes?"

"It's actually pronounced Tempest Shadow, but that's not my real name," Tempest elaborated.

"Pity, because that name suits someone who can do the things you can do," Discord declared, looking genuinely excited for the first time that day. "Oh, my, yes. If I may say so, Tempest, your conquest over Equestria, however brief, was most inspiring! I haven't heard of such unbridled chaos since I myself ran unopposed! I mean, turning the masses into stone! If only _I'd_ thought of that back in the day! Oh, but then again, I've made a conscious choice to leave my past _in_ the past, and from what I've heard, you're walking a similar path these days. I daresay we could learn a thing or two from one another!"

"The only thing I want to learn today, Discord, is whether or not this bakery has any double choc-chip caramel fudge cookies in stock. Now please, stand aside."

"Oh, my! It seems that _you_ know of _my_ reputation as well! How delightful! Tell me, how would you rate your power level in comparison to mine? Would you say it's… over nine thousand?" Discord taunted, bursting out laughing at the end of his sentence.

Tempest raised an eyebrow. "You know, Discord, you're every bit as mature and to be taken seriously as Twilight Sparkle described you to be."

Discord was taken aback by that. "Oh? Well, thank you."

"That being said, you might like to examine the front window display," Tempest told him with a faint sly smirk. "I believe that the miniature cupcakes marketed towards infant fillies are on sale."

Discord's smile instantly faded at that, but after a brief moment of silence, he laughed once more.

"Oh, you're good, Tempest Shadow, I'll give you that."

"Well, I… I'm trying to be," Tempest said quietly, hanging her head. "I've been using my powers to cause pain and suffering for so long, I can only hope that it's even still _possible_ for me to be considered 'good'."

"Wow. A bit on the melodramatic side, aren't we?"

Tempest straightened up. "I should be moving along. I suggest you do the same."

Discord placed his paw under Tempest's chin and lifted her head up. "You know, Tempest, looking at you right now, I can't help but wonder if _I_ looked that miserable when _I_ was still getting used to the idea of-" He stopped abruptly in mid-sentence when he saw that the unicorn's broken horn was crackling with power. He quickly withdrew his paw and recoiled, alarmed.

Tempest lowered her head again. "No. I can't. Not again," she muttered. "I can't lose control. _I WON'T!"_ she suddenly screamed, making everypony in the store jump.

"Hey, is everything okey-dokey over there?" Pinkie called from over at the counter.

"I was wrong. You're in a far _worse_ state than I was," Discord decided, looking concerned.

"Hey, come on, everypony - turn those frowns upside down!" Pinkie said encouragingly, stepping around the counter and making her way across the store. "Let's find that holiday cheer and really grab it by the reins!" she declared, stepping in between Discord and Tempest, placing a hoof on each former villain's back. Tempest tensed a little at the physical contact, but managed to refrain from instinctively activating her horn again. "I know what'll cheer you two up! Free Hearths Warming muffins for my friends Discord and Fizzlepop Berrytwist! In fact, FREE HEARTHS WARMING MUFFINS ALL AROUND!"

The crowd in the store cheered, not least Derpy Hooves, who appeared positively euphoric at the prospect of free samples of her favourite treat.

"Only one per customer, though! Oh, what the heck - make it two! And while you're enjoying your complimentary muffins, be sure to check out that notice on the wall courtesy of Princess Celestia herself! It seems she's renting out the main hall of Canterlot Palace to anypony who wants to host a Hearths Warming party there! See the notice for details!"

Discord snapped his fingers and instantly teleported to the notice before anypony else could get close, examining it with intrigue. "She's renting out the main hall for something that'll result in a huge mess for her to clean up afterwards? Sounds like my kind of thing!" He then turned away from the notice, his eyes settling on a large cake on display.

A cake in the likeness of a disco ball. Discord once again found himself stroking his goatee, a number of clever (and chaotic) little thoughts going through his head.

"And maybe, just maybe, it could be Fluttershy's kind of thing, too."

Making his decision, Discord tore the notice off the wall and teleported back over to where Tempest stood, the former commander of the Storm King's army now holding a half-eaten chocolate muffin with pink icing and multicoloured sprinkles in one hoof. It seemed to have perked her up, at least partially.

"Tempest, in regards to what almost happened back there, it seems that you need the same thing I did when I first got into the whole 'friendship is magic' thing."

"And what's that?" Tempest enquired cautiously, her mouth full.

"A practical outlet for your powers," Discord stated, holding up the notice for her to see, "And if you'd be interested in helping me with a little constructive project, I think we'll _both_ have a simply _ideal_ way to go positively _wild_ with our respective powers and _still_ get in everypony's good books! What d'you say? Sound good?"


	3. Cat's In The Bridle

Capper was bored, and perhaps rightfully so as he sat there in Carousel Boutique, his chin resting on his paw. The bipedal cat suppressed a sigh as the tape measure wrapped itself gently around his waist for what felt like the thousandth time that day, levitating thanks to a certain tailor pony's magic.

"Oh, this is going to be just divine!" Rarity was saying, more to herself than her guest as she went about levitating sheets of fabric, sewing needles and paint buckets filled with brightly coloured dyes this way and that. Capper moved his arm to look at his watch before remembering that he didn't have one. Just how long had he been sitting here in this chair? Long enough so that his left foot was starting to fall asleep, he knew that much.

"Miss Rarity, are you sure you really want to make me a new suit for the holidays?" he asked, deciding to speak up at last. "I mean, I'd hate to trouble you… and we both know I have a knack for trouble," he concluded, flashing a knowing smirk in Rarity's direction. She didn't notice, however, for she had her back to him as she worked.

"Capper, _darling_ , when Rarity promises to make a charming garment for a charming friend, she does not go back on her word. I know it can get a little mundane waiting around for perfection, but darling, you can't rush purr-fection."

"Was that a cat pun?"

Rarity giggled lightly. "Maybe."

"You know something, Miss Rarity? You're alright. You've got a good heart - something I wish I had the luxury of, what with all my debts and all."

"Well, anypony who would stand up for a bunch of strange ponies at the risk of getting blasted into next week by the Storm King's servants can't be _all_ bad."

"Heh. Yeah, I guess I have my moments," Capper admitted, chuckling weakly.

"And tomorrow night you'll have your moment of well-earned flair at that party of Discord's when you walk into the palace wearing a brand new blazer as charming as yourself. Believe me, you'll look quite dapper… Capper."

Capper smirked at that, his smile fading slightly as the tape measure tugged gently at his arm, prompting him to stand up. He suppressed another sigh and obliged. "There's something about a tape measure moving by itself that makes a fellow's fur stand on end," he decided, his amber fur indeed bristling slightly underneath his usual overcoat.

"Relax, darling. I'm almost done," Rarity assured him, switching off the sewing machine she was using and proceeding to levitate a needle, magically threading it. "A few precise stitches and you'll be looking in that mirror over there, seeing a handsome feline staring back at you."

Capper directed his gaze to the mirror in question. "I'd like to think there's _already_ a handsome feline staring back at me," he declared, sharing a knowing chuckle with the mare hard at work on his new garment.

"It's ready!" Rarity then announced brightly, levitating the finished crimson blazer over to her friend.

Capper cast aside his current garb, grabbed the blazer and pulled it on, noting the shiny black opal buttons, the length and width of the sleeves, the coat pocket emblazoned with the first letter of his name in dainty cursive… It was a perfect fit and, as Rarity had predicted, it suited him quite well.

"Oh, my," was all Rarity could say, staring at her friend in awe. To her, Capper looked considerably more handsome than she'd dared to hope.

"Call me crazy, but I think you've really outdone yourself, Miss Rarity," Capper declared as he examined himself in the mirror, looking quite pleased with his new ensemble.

"W-wait a moment!" Rarity said suddenly, her horn glowing with magic again. She levitated an emerald brooch off the nearby table and over to Capper, fastening it to his blazer opposite the coat pocket. He glanced from it to her, surprised. "I thought y-you'd like to have that. It really compliments your eyes. I mean, they're so green, so… so luminous!" the posh pony babbled, her cheeks reddening.

Capper stared at her, even more surprised. Then he smiled warmly.

"You're really something else, Miss Rarity, you know that?" he said, putting an arm around her as the two gazed into the mirror, standing side by side.

"Oh! Well… I try," Rarity responded with a nervous giggle, blushing even harder.

Capper looked thoughtful. "Say, Miss Rarity, you're heading to this little party yourself, right?"

"But of course! I daresay I wouldn't miss it."

"Well, if you wouldn't mind having a certain male consort tag along with you…"

Rarity was completely taken aback by that. After a moment, however, she beamed, her cheeks a deeper shade of red than ever.

"I would simply _adore_ that, my dear Capper."

"RARITY AND CAPPER, SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

The pair whirled around at the all-too familiar voice of Rainbow Dash, the brash pegasus with the multicoloured mane at the window, grinning a mile wide with mischievous glee.

"Oh, wait 'til I tell the Wonderbolts about this!" she cried, laughing uproariously as she took off at mach speed.

"Well, it would seem that the cat's out of the bag," Capper summarised, folding his arms and smirking knowingly.

"Oh, you! _I_ was going to say that!" Rarity exclaimed. She and Capper both laughed.

* * *

Tempest grunted and strained as she pushed the large and heavy box across the palace floor with her head, occasionally throwing dirty looks in Discord's direction. The draconequus was paying her no mind, however, as he stood there in the centre of the room, a pair of square-rimmed glasses in front of his eyes as he marked off parts of a checklist - thankfully nowhere near as long as any of Twilight's. He used not a quill, but rather his own taloned finger to write, the claw tipped with black ink. He smiled with satisfaction, pleased that the party's preparations were proceeding nicely, before looking up to see the unicorn with the cracked horn exerting herself.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Tempest! Just use your magic to move the crate!"

"I can't!" Tempest snapped back. "My magic is too unstable to risk even the most basic of levitation spells!" She then sighed heavily, hanging her head. "I specialise in destructive magic, notconjuration or manipulation," she explained through gritted teeth. "That's why I trained with the Storm King's soldiers in combat exercises - to bolster my physical abilities to make up for my magical limitations. I've got a lot of raw magical power to be sure, but I can only safely focus it in certain ways."

"Then let me do it," Discord said, snapping his fingers and causing the bulky crate to instantly appear before him. Another snap of his fingers and the highly reflective disco ball contained within floated out and positioned itself above, hanging down from the ceiling. "Besides, I didn't rope you into this just to play around with crates. I have something special in mind for someone of your talents, especially after what Twilight told me about you."

"And what would that be, Discord? I'm not turning everypony to stone again just so you can have a cheap laugh."

"Not what I had in mind. Anyway, I think it's going to take more than just the two of us to get everything ready for tomorrow night."

"Can't you just snap your fingers and put everything in place instantly?"

"Oh, Tempest, anypony can throw a basic shindig together with magic. It takes real work to give a dance floor the perfect vibe… and to leave Fluttershy speechless and awed," he added in a quiet mutter to himself before continuing, "And speaking of vibes, I think I know just the pony to help us, odd as my choice may seem. Sit tight, Bubblepop Cherryblast. I'll be back with the hired help soon enough."

"My name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist!"

"Oh, whatever!" Discord exclaimed, not feeling at all inclined to care. He snapped his fingers once more and vanished. Tempest rolled her eyes, shaking her head in exasperation. She had a feeling Discord was going to drive her bonkers before the party even started.

Little did she know that the 'hired help' Discord was bringing back would drive _everypony_ bonkers…


	4. Having A (Disco) Ball

Hearth's Warming day finally arrived and the accompanying night would surely be one to remember…

…For better or worse.

The main hall of Canterlot Palace made the head of every single pony who walked through the double doors turn and gaze around in awe. The walls were lined with tall, magnificent Christmas trees, each one decorated marvellously. A long buffet table loaded with goodies stood on one side of the room, the most delectable aromas wafting from it. What really stuck out as the centre of attention, however, was the colossal disco ball hanging from above, reflecting multicoloured lights across the dance floor, adding to the air of fun that was being enforced by the music that was blaring from the subwoofers located to one side.

 _"Party rock is in the house tonight!_

 _Everypony just have a good time!_

 _And we gon' make you lose your mind!_

 _Everypony just have a good, good, good time…!_

 _Shake that!_

 _Everyday I'm shuffling."_

Vinyl Scratch was certainly living up to her name as she worked the dials of the huge stereo system she had provided for the party, keeping the pitch and speed of the music varied, and cleverly and effectively so. She had a huge grin on her face as she sat there, her signature purple goggles pulled down over her eyes, her neon blue mane seeming to shimmer in the disco ball's light show. She really looked the part of a DJ.

And speaking of looking the part, it was as the awestruck crowd filed into the room that Discord appeared opposite the doors, wearing a Santa hat over his mismatched antlers, a slick pair of dark shades, a blue jacket studded with silver sequins and of course, the boots Fluttershy had given him. The footwear seemed a little out of place compared to the rest of his attire, but if there was anypony who knew how to take a mismatched look and make it work, it was the spirit of chaos himself. He had a microphone in his hand and he held it up to his mouth, grinning toothily as he greeted the crowd.

"Welcome, my little ponies! So glad you could all be here tonight! I'm sure I don't need to tell you that this party is going to be a smash!" As soon as he said that, Discord snapped his fingers and he shattered like glass into a thousand pieces as though he had indeed been smashed by something. The crowd of ponies gasped in alarm, but then Discord immediately reformed his body, laughing uproariously. "Oh, don't mind me! Sometimes I just go _all to pieces_ at social gatherings!"

The crowd of ponies laughed, several of them rolling their eyes and shaking their heads in exasperated amusement.

"Typical Discord."

"What a ham!"

"Wouldn't be a party of his without an opening joke like that, that's for sure."

"I think I'm making a good impression as a host so far," Discord said confidently as Tempest Shadow and Tree Hugger stepped up beside him on either side, the former looking as stoic as ever and the latter having a lazy, spaced out smile on her face. "And Tree Hugger, I wanted to thank you for helping me organise the finer points of this little shindig."

"Hey, what about me?" Tempest demanded.

"Yeah, what _about_ her?" Grubber jeered, the plump little hedgehog joining his former commander, still wearing his old Storm King Army uniform. "Oh, wait, that didn't come out right!" he said, taking a step back nervously as Tempest turned to glare at him. "The emphasis there was supposed to be on the 'her' part, not the 'about' part. Heh. My bad."

"Oh, but of course I'm not forgetting about you, Snugglepop," Discord began.

"Fizzlepop!"

"Yes, you did a simply _marvellous_ job pushing that crate across the floor for all of two minutes."

Tempest growled out her fury, her broken horn crackling threateningly with barely tapped energy.

"I'm only joking, my dear Tempest!" Discord assured her, pulling her into a headlock and ruffling her crimson mane, a gesture that the purple pony certainly did not appreciate. Physical contact with others was still something she wasn't quite used to, and after Discord released her, she stood completely rigid for a long moment, looking extremely tense.

"Wow. Your vibe is like, totally out of sync," Tree Hugger mused, staring at Tempest with mild concern. At least, it seemed to be concern. It wasn't easy to tell given the lax tone of the hippie pony's voice and the vacant nature of her stare.

"Excuse me?" Tempest responded, frowning slightly, having no idea what the green pony with the red mane was going on about.

"You need to find a more chill wavelength. I think the cider we ordered can like, really smooth out your groove."

"You rang?" Applejack said brightly, walking up with a flagon of her family's famous cider in her hoof. "Here ya go, darlin'. My treat," she said, offering it to Tempest, who turned away.

"I'm fine, thank you," she said curtly. "I just need a moment to compose myself."

"Oh. Alrighty, then," Applejack said uncertainly. She turned to Discord. "Ah gotta say, Discord, y'all have really outdone yerself fer this 'ere party. Ah still can't believe how many barrels of mah family's cider ya ordered."

"Oh, don't thank me. It was Tree Hugger who insisted that we have a hefty supply of it for the occasion," Discord confessed, gesturing to his helper.

"Organic apple cider can really create a rad atmosphere in one's soul, especially now," Tree Hugger stated.

"Heh. If y'all say so," Applejack replied with a weak chuckle, not really getting Tree Hugger's manner of speaking. "Ah'm just glad everypony here's enjoyin' it," she went on, glancing over at the cider barrels to see several ponies gathered around them, filling up their flagons and drinking deeply.

"I know I am!" Rainbow Dash declared brightly, zipping up to the group with a flagon of the fizzy substance at the ready. She tossed her head back, poured the liquid into her mouth and swallowed the lot in one gulp. "I dunno what it is, but something about this stuff makes it taste especially awesome tonight! This is my seventh flagon in the last twenty-five seconds!" On that note, she raced back over to the barrels and filled her flagon once more.

"Oh, Applejack, that reminds me, have you seen any sign of Fluttershy yet?" Discord asked hopefully.

"Oh! Oh! She's at the doorway!" Grubber said, pointing enthusiastically at the far side of the room as Fluttershy walked in right on cue, wearing a black dress that made some of the nearby stallions gawk at her in awe. She gave a nervous smile at the sight of such admirers and took a cautious step back. Smiling knowingly, Discord snapped his fingers and teleported his best friend away from the onlookers and over to him. Another snap and a spotlight from nowhere was shining down on Fluttershy, much to her surprise.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, If I could have your attention for just a moment," Discord announced into his microphone, "I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight! I must say, what a turnout! There's nopony I'd like to thank more for gracing us with her presence, however, than my dear friend Fluttershy! How about a hoof for her, folks?"

The crowd obliged, politely applauding Fluttershy, drumming their front hooves up and down on the floor - the only way ponies knew how to applaud. "Oh. Well, um… Thank you," the pale yellow pegasus said shyly, her cheeks reddening slightly. She wasn't used to being the centre of attention. Seeing his friend's unease, Discord teleported her over to the buffet table, where Twilight, Spike, the rest of the Mane Six, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Princesses of Equestria were gathered.

"Hiya, Miss Fluttershy!" the Crusaders greeted brightly.

"Hello, everypony," Fluttershy said, relaxing now that she was in the company of the ponies she was familiar with. "Say, is that Trixie over there?"

Trixie glanced up from her spot by the chocolate fountain at the mention of her name, her mouth full of cream cake. She saw Twilight and the others, raised her flagon as a means of greeting and then immediately turned back to the chocolate fountain, looking uncertain of how to approach it.

"Just go for it, Trixie!" Pinkie cried encouragingly, her shout startling the stage magician so that she jumped, stumbled forward slightly and ended up sticking her face in the flowing chocolate, causing several onlookers to laugh. Twilight tensed, fearing that Trixie might go on the warpath, but instead, the pony in star-patterned robes did something unexpected.

Trixie swallowed her mouthful of food, proceeded to lick the sticky chocolate off her face… and began laughing merrily as well.

"I knew she'd have a good time here tonight!" Sweetie Belle said, beaming.

"Wait. You brought her here?" Twilight asked, surprised.

"We ran into her while we were adding the finishing touches to the snowpony we were building," Scootaloo explained. "Turns out she was flattered that we were making it in her likeness, even saying that she liked the hat we put on it."

Twilight gazed at Trixie's hat, noting how similar it was to the one she owned. "Wait. Is _that_ why you wanted to borrow my hat?"

The Crusaders immediately froze, their cheeks reddening as they smiled meekly.

"Uh, maybe," Applebloom said at last.

"Well, why didn't you say you wanted it to build a snowpony?" Twilight exclaimed, smiling at the fillies. "I used to love building snowponies with Shining Armor back when I was a filly."

"Snowponies? I ain't seen one of those in years," Capper said from his place at Rarity's side. "Not a lot of holiday cheer in my neighbourhood, now that I think of it."

"Perhaps you and I could build one tomorrow?" Rarity suggested.

"Aw, come on now, you don't have to do any of that kid stuff just for me," Capper assured her, scratching the back of his head, blushing.

"Why not? Your first Hearths Warming in Ponyville should leave you with some lovely memories, should it not?"

"It already has, Miss Rarity. Thanks to you."

Rarity giggled. "Please, Capper, just call me Rarity."

Spike, having just gotten a gemstone for himself from a nearby food platter, crushed the jewel into dust with his claws.

Back where Discord and his cohorts were gathered, Grubber was staring longingly at the buffet table, his eyes on a large spongecake that had been made by the Pie family. He kept glancing from the dessert display to Tempest, occasionally whimpering softly. Tempest sighed heavily.

"Just go, Grubber."

The sweet-toothed hedgehog didn't need to be told twice. He raced for the table with a mad giggle of excitement and within seconds, his mouth was stuffed to the brim with every pastry he could reach.

"Well, somepony's havin' a good time," Applejack exclaimed. She and her friends laughed.

"It's good to see so many smiling faces," Celestia said, gazing around, her own contented smile having nothing to do with current events. She was thinking of how she had recently been alone in her throne room, opening her mouth to let out a soft yawn when a lightly toasted marshmallow had appeared out of nowhere and landed in her mouth, proving quite delicious. The Princess licked her muzzle at the thought. "I am looking forward to the fireworks display Discord has arranged for Tempest to put on for the crowd later."

"I think some of our subjects might be having a little too much fun," Luna mused, having noticed that Rainbow Dash appeared to be trying to dance upside down on the ceiling, giggling like an infant filly.

 _"Far_ too much fun," Cadence said, her eyebrows raised as she watched Derpy Hooves run around in circles chasing her tail - a questionable action even for her.

"I think I've sat on the sidelines long enough," Discord was saying as Tempest watched the scene before her, noting the spreading display of strange behaviour on the dance floor and beyond. "I think I'll grab a pint and then show them that even the spirit of chaos can bust a move!" With that, he snapped his fingers and summoned a flagon of cider into his waiting hands. Tempest glanced from the flagon to the cider barrels to the crowd and, putting two and two together, her eyes widened and she leapt at Discord, knocking the flagon out of his hand and spilling the contents on the floor, much to his protest.

"Look, you fool!" she cried, grabbing his head and turning it so he was facing the dance floor. Nearly every single pony was acting like they were completely out of it, and each of them either had a flagon of cider in hoof or had the drink smeared around their mouth.

"Oh, that's not good…" Discord mumbled worriedly.

"I CAN TOUCH THE SKYYYYYY!" Rainbow Dash shouted joyfully as she did the backstroke through midair, cider smeared all over her face, her mouth locked in a delirious grin and the pupils of her eyes unnaturally huge. Shining Armor appeared to be doing the chicken dance on the dance floor, though he did so while balancing precariously on his front hooves, his back legs in the air. Big Macintosh was rolling back and forth across the floor like a dog. Trixie was now wearing the entire chocolate fountain on her head and dancing about. As for Maud Pie… Well, the less said about what she was doing, the better.

"But I don't understand," Discord said. "I know Applejack wouldn't sell tainted cider to me. Not knowingly, anyway. She's too caught up in the whole 'honesty' thing to do that. And _I_ certainly didn't tamper with it. But then, that only leaves…"

 _Organic apple cider can really create a rad atmosphere in one's soul, especially now._

 _Especially now..._

The draconequus turned to face Tree Hugger, who was still standing there with a vacant smile on her face. "Is there something you want to tell me?" the party's host demanded, narrowing his red eyes at her behind his shades.

"Chillax, Discord. I just put a little bit of my 'special crop' into the drink to help everypony loosen up. It always creates a groovy vibe."

"You did _WHAT?!"_ Discord shrieked. "You do realise that they're going to blame _me_ for this, don't you?"

"Wow, your chakras are like, really unbalanced right now. Have you considered Reiki therapy?"

Discord groaned in frustration. "Okay, _this_ is why I find it hard to see eye-to-eye with you most days," he declared, putting his head in his hands.

"Um, Discord?"

Discord froze in horror. He knew that voice. He dared to glance out from behind his fingers to see Fluttershy standing there, staring up at him, looking sad.

"Oh, my dear Fluttershy, if you'd just be so kind as to let me explain-"

Fluttershy held up a hoof to silence him. "I just want to say one thing," she stated.

"What's that?" Discord dared to ask nervously.

"WHEEEEEEE!" Fluttershy squealed cluelessly, flapping her wings and taking to the air. "I'm a beautiful butterfly!" she cried, spiralling through the air. For a moment, Discord didn't get it, but then he looked down and saw an empty flagon lying on its side where his best friend had been standing.

"Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," he decided, snapping his fingers and summoning two more flagons of cider, one in each hand.

"You're not serious?!" Tempest asked, flabbergasted.

"Oh, shut up and drink something! It might make you _smile_ for a change!" Discord responded, tipping the contents of one flagon down Tempest's throat before she could react. He then downed the remaining flagon and proceeded to make a total Discord of himself.

And all the while, Tree Hugger continued to stand there, not showing any reaction to anything that was going on. Eventually, her smile widened a little and she said just one thing:

"Heh. Groovy."


	5. Hats Off To Discord

A few days had passed since the Hearths Warming party, and things had settled into a pleasantly quiet state throughout Ponyville. In fact, it seemed just a little _too_ quiet, which might have been why Fluttershy found herself humming a soft little tune as she fed Angel Bunny his lunch (a bowl of sliced carrots), just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that had settled over her homestead.

 _Knock, knock, knock._

Of course, peace and quiet never did last very long - something that Fluttershy knew all too well. Still, her contented smile didn't waver as she moved to answer the front door. She had a feeling she knew who was waiting on her doorstep.

The first thing the softly spoken pony saw upon opening the door were those familiar boots she had made, and had to look up to see the familiar face of the draconequus who wore them. Discord was holding a moderately large blue present box wrapped with a green ribbon in his hands. He looked a little uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry that the party turned a little bit… well, me," he said, hanging his head. "Guess I should leave the festive stuff to experts like Pinkie in future."

"Oh, don't be like that, Discord," Fluttershy told him reassuringly. "I know you meant well, and I think everypony's stopped having cider related headaches by now."

"All I wanted was to make you the guest of honour at my party. I thought that would be a fitting Hearths Warming gift for you, but… Well, I thought I'd try something a little closer to what you got me. It's not much and I know it's a little late now, but… Happy Hearths Warming, Fluttershy," Discord concluded, offering her the box.

Intrigued, Fluttershy set the box down before her and pulled the ribbon away, lifting the lid to reveal…

"Oh, Discord!' she gasped as she pulled out the wide-brimmed hat decorated with multicoloured shirt buttons arranged in a pattern that resembled her and Discord, the two seeming to be holding hands/hooves in the image. "This… This is…"

"Nothing special, I know," Discord said, looking at his talons glumly. "I guess I've still got a lot to learn about-"

"This is exactly what I wanted!" Fluttershy declared, rushing forward to wrap her hooves around her friend's waist.

"It is?" Discord asked, a little bewildered. "You mean you'd rather a half-decent hat I made without my powers than being an honoured guest at a party?"

"But of course!" Fluttershy told him. "Parties are always fun, but something like this is a keepsake - one that's made with love, thought and a little of that Discord charm! It makes me think of you and reminds me that you're thinking of me!"

Hearing this, Discord glanced down at his boots, feeling that they warranted a similar description. Fluttershy had no doubt made them for him with a lot of thought and plenty of her signature kindness.

"Well, there you go, then! Even when I get friendship wrong, it turns out right!" he said more cheerfully.

"Or maybe you never got it wrong in the first place," Fluttershy said with a knowing smile as she released him, taking her new hat in hoof and placing it atop her head. "Say, you know what goes good with a new hat? A nice hot cup of tea!"

"You read my mind!" Discord said, having already been planning to invite Fluttershy over to his place of residence for their usual tea party. "And it so happens that I picked up a simply marvellous cake yesterday! So… shall we?"

A couple minutes later, Fluttershy set out with her friend, wearing her own snow boots along with her new hat, walking in stride with the Draconequus. "Tell me more about that marvellous cake," she pleaded eagerly, only now becoming aware of how hungry she was.

"Well, it's a chocolate cake made to look like a rock, topped with green frosting to give the impression of being moss-covered…"

 **The End**

* * *

 _My little pony!_

 _(short guitar riff)_

 _My little pony!_

 _(extended guitar riff)_

 _My little pony!_

 _Friends!_


End file.
